Working with Communities during Major Bushfires

In recent years fire managers in Victoria have placed great emphasis on working with threatened communities to keep them informed during bushfires, particularly through the use of public meetings to provide up to date information about the situation, agency strategies and safety advice for the community. In the 2006/07 fire season in Victoria nearly 300 community meetings were held throughout the threatened areas. Over 30,000 people attended these meetings. An evaluation of these meetings was conducted to identify the outcomes achieved by the meetings and how the meetings worked to promote and support community involvement. The evaluation involved observation of meetings and interviews with both agency staff and the community members attending the meetings. A major community survey was also conducted to assess the response to the meetings. The results identified that the meeting achieved a broad range of outcomes. These included increased householder planning and preparedness, increased understanding and acceptance of fire management strategies, and more positive attitudes towards the agencies. The paper will present some of the key findings from the evaluation and outline how community meetings can provide a key component of agency strategies to inform and involve the community during major fires and how such meetings contribute to more appropriate community response to wildfires. The paper also highlights some issues that need to be considered in planning and conducting such meetings